Sanford s



(No Model.)

S. S. BURR.

PORTABLE BATH.

No. 399,968. Patented Mar. 19, 1889;

N. PETERS, Phaln-Mlwgmphcr. Wishinglmv o c UNITED STATES PAT NT" OFFICE.

SANFORD S. BURR, OF WVINNETKA, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO THEODORE S. DICK, OF SAME PLACE.

PORTABLE BATH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 399,968, dated March 19, 1889.

Application filed January 16, 1888- 'To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SANFORD S. BURR, a citizen of the United States, residing at \Vinnetka, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Portable Baths, of which I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification."

My present invention has relation to the improvement of that class of portable baths wherein the tub or receptacle for holding the water is formed of a suitable flexible material-such, for example, as rubber, rubber cloth, or the likeheld distended while in use by means of devices adapted to be folded or packed within small compass for storage or shipment. In the construction of this class of portable baths, as heretofore commonly practiced, it has been customary to sustain the flexible tub or receptacle by means of a frame that encircled the top of the tub and Was supported upon folding legs, or rest-ed upon chairs or other convenient supports, and hung therefrom in the form of a bag, with its bottom resting upon the floor. Such construction has been found objectionable for the reason, among others, that when the tub was filled with water there was danger of the bather accidentally tearing a hole in the rubber or otherwise injuring the same by reason of the fact that the sides of the tub were left entirely unsupported against outward thrust. Moreover, with this style of tub it was necessary to form the bottom of the tub very broad, so that in the movements of the bather the weight of his body would not be thrown upon the material, and consequently it was necessary to use a much greater quantity of water than would be required in case the bottom of the tub was curved. It has also been heretofore proposed to form a portable bath of a flexible water-proof tub that was sustained by means of side and end boards connected together at their corners and adapted to be taken apart when it was desired to pack the tub or to remove it from place to place. This last-mentioned construction is objectionable, however, for the reason that the supporting elevation of the tub complete. of the parts in condition for storage or shipsection on line 00 a of Fig. 1.

wood'work was necessarily heavy an d incon- $eria1No. 260,855. (No model.)

venient to handle, and for the further reason ,provide a portable bath that shall be capable of being packed into very small compass for .shipment or storage, and in which the flexible tub or receptacle for water shall be securely supported in such manner that it will not be liable to be injured by the movement or weight of the bather, in such manner also that it can be quickly set up for use, and when in condition for use will hold the water in the most effective and economic way for the purposes of bathing.

To this end my invention consists in various novel features of construction, hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a portable bath made in accordance with my inventlon, the flexible tub or receptacle being removed for the purpose of illustrating the subj acent parts.

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation, with the flexi- Ible tub in position and with parts broken away for better illustration. Fig. 3 is a side Fig. 4 is a view ment. Fig. 5 is a view in vertical transverse Fig. 6 is a fractional view, in vertical section, on line y y of Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a detail view, in side elevation, of a modified form of frame.

A designates the tub or receptacle for water, which will be formed of any suitable flexible material such as rubber, rubber cloth, or the like-and this receptacle may be made either in such shape as to conform to the outlines of the support or may simply consist of a sheet of water-proof material laid over the support, being forced to conform thereto by the weight of the water. This flexible water-proof tub A will preferably be provided adjacent its edges with suitable holes or eyelets, a, whereby it can be attached to suitable buttons, 1), on the frame B, that extends around the upper portion of the tub, and is provided with suitable legs, 0, hinged or otherwise movably con- ICO nected thereto for sustaining the frame at the proper distance above the floor. It will be readily understood, however, that any other convenient means may be employed for attaching the flexible tub to the frame.

My improved support for the flexible tub is preferably formed of suitable flexible material-such, for example, as heavy card-board, indurated fiber, or the like, in the shape of sheetsand the body-sections D are by preference in separate parts, although, if desired, the body portion may be made of a single sheet of material. I prefer, also, to employ a headsection, E, of flexible material of substantially the shape shown; but while deemed advantageous it is not essential to the practice of my invention. The sheets of flexible material, D,

which constitute the body portion of the support for the tub, will be of such width that when bent in curved form, as shown, their centers will rest upon the floor, while their upper ends are retained against tendency to spread in lateral direction by means of the frame B, and when the body-sections D of the support are bent, as shown in the drawings, I prefer to connect the upper edges of such sections with the frame B by means of the inner ends of the pins b, which enter corresponding openings in the strips 61, that are preferably attached to the edge of the Sections D. It will be understood, however, that, if preferred,

. these sections need not be provided with the strips 01, in which case the holes for the pins,

. if this means of attachment is employed, will be formed directly in the body of the sections D. The end or head section, E, will by preference be provided at its upper corners with the notches e, which will permit the corners of the section E to he slipped beneath the inner ends of the pins 1), that pass through the frame B, adjacent such corners, and at the same time will allow the upper edge of the section E to coincide with the edge of the frame B, there being provided a suitable meanssuch, for example, as the pin b adapt ed to enter a suitable perforation near the edge of the section E-for holding the edge of the section in proper position with respect to the frame B.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that when the parts constituting my improved portable bath are to be stored or shipped the sections D may be laid out flat upon the frame B, the legs of which will be folded in the direction of its length, in which condition the parts will occupy but very little space and can be very conveniently handled; or, if desired, the sections D can, without being flattened out, be nested together, and will occupy but very little space, or the sections D may be set on end, with their edges abutting and be suitably connected together, and thus form a cylindrical receptacle suitable for use as a device for containing soiled clothes or other articles. In practice, however, it will be found that the most convenient arrangement of the parts before they have been set up for use will be that shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings, and after they have been used it will be found more convenient to nest the sections D together or unite them to form the cylindrical receptacle, as above described. 7 hen the parts are set up for use, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, the sections D, which constitute the body portion of the support, will be placed with their ends abutting, and will be curved or bent lengthwise until the eyes or holes in the strips at their edges are slipped over the inner ends of the pins upon the side of the frame B, which frame, with its legs 0, constitutes an effective form of stay or brace for the flexible support of the tub. After the sections D have been thus attached to the frame B the end or head section, E, will be slipped in place in such manner that its lower edge shall rest upon the adjoining section D, while its upper corners fit beneath the ends of the pins 1) on the inner side of the frame B, as shown, and its edge is secured to the curved portion of the frame B. I have not shown any footsupport for the tub, because I do not deem the same necessary; nor is it necessary to employin all cases the end or head section, E, of the support, although I regard its use as desirable. When the parts are thus set up in position for use, it will be observed that the tub will have a curved or trough-shaped bottom, which, while avoiding the necessity of using a great quantity of water, will hold the water in the most advantageous manner for bathing purposes, and the flexible tub will be supported on all sides by the sections D, to the contour of which it will conform, and at its head or inclined portion will be firmly sustained by the corresponding section E of the support; hence all danger of injury to the tub A by reason of the weight or movements of the bather is avoided.

It will be readily understood that any suitable means may be used instead of the frame B for holding the support in upright position and for preventing the spreading of the sections D when inuse, although I regard the construction shown as admirably adapted for such purpose.

If desired, the frame B may be formed of two parts hinged together at their center, as shown in Fig. '7, so as to permit the parts to be folded upon each other for greater compactness in shipment or storage, and the hinge by which the parts are connected will by preference be placed upon the under side of the frame in order to securely guard against all danger of its collapsing when in use.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a portable bath, the combination, with a flexible water-proof tub or receptacle, of a support for said tub or receptacle formed of flexible material extending around the bottom and sides of the tub, substantially as described.

2. In a portable bath, the combination, with a flexible tub or receptacle of Water-proof material, of a support for said tub or receptacle formed of separable sections divided transversely the length of the tub, and a suitable stay or brace for holding said sections in position, substantially as described.

3. In a portable bath, the combination, With a flexible Water-proof tub or receptacle, of a support for said tub or receptacle composed of divided sections of flexible material extending around the bottom and sides of the tub, substantially as described.

4. In a portable bath, the combination, with a flexible water-proof tub or receptacle, of a support for said tub or receptacle formed of flexible material, and a suitable stay or brace for holding said flexible material in position, substantially as described.

5. In a portable bath, the combination, With a flexible water-proof tub or receptacle, of a support for said tub or receptacle formed of flexible material, and a stay or brace for said support consisting of a top frame and suitable legs connected thereto, substantially as described.

(i. In a portable bath, the combination, with a flexible Water-proof tub or receptacle, of a support for said receptacle formed of flexible material and comprising one or more bodysections and a head-section, and a suitable stay or brace for holding said sections in position, substantially as described.

7. In a portable bath, the combination, with the flexible Water-proof tub or receptacle, of a support for the sides and bottom of said receptacle, said support being formed of transversely-divided sections extending around the bottom and sides of the tub, and a stay or brace for saiddivided sections consisting of a frame extending around the top thereof and detachably connected therewith, said frame having legs and being provided With suitable means for detachably connecting thereto the flexible tub or receptacle, the said several parts being arranged and combined for relative oo-operation, substantially as described.

8. In a portable bath, the combination, with a flexible water-proof tub or receptacle, of a support for said tub or receptacle consisting of the flexible divided end and body sections, and a stay or brace for said sections extending around the upper portion thereof and having legs movably connected thereto, substantially as described.

9. In a portable bath, the combination, with a flexible Water-proof tub or receptacle, of a support for the sides and bottom of said tub or receptacle consisting of transversely-divided sections, and a stay or brace for said sections comprising a frame, B, transversely divided and detachably connected with the sections, substantially as described.

SANFORD S. BURR. Vitnesses:

GEO. P. FISHER, J r., B I. B. CARPENTER. 

